Valentine's Day (I know it's lateOh well)
by rainbows-n-darkness
Summary: Tonks and Snape celebrate their first Valentine's Day together.


She held out a little black box. When he didn't look up from his book she gave a little cough. He slowly peered over the top of his book to look at her, noticing the small package in her hand. "What's that?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"Your Valentine's Day gift," a big smile grew across her face.

"My what?"

"It's Valentine's Day!" He looked at her with a confused look on his face. "Please tell me you remembered." She tried not to sound too upset, but failed horribly.

"I'm sorry that this insignificant holiday happened to slip my mind. My apologies," he went back to reading his book.

"It's out first one as a "couple" or whatever you would call _us_!"

"I've already apologized Nymphadora, what else do you want from me?" He didn't look up as he spoke.

"Maybe a little emotion? Or is that making you open yourself up too much to me?" She asked furiously. She threw the box on the floor, the sound of shattered glass reverberating around the room.

With a deep sigh, he closed his book and stood to move towards her, "I love you." He put his arms around her and pulled her towards him, leaning in to gently kiss her.

"Whatever Severus," she pushed him off her. "I'm going for a walk. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not it will be safe for you to still be here when I come back." With that she turned and left her flat, slamming the door behind her.

He put his face in his hands and tilted his head back. "Merlin's beard I hate this holiday." Severus Snape was never a man to show his emotions, at least not his more cheerful ones. He picked up the small box from the floor and sat back down in the big armchair. He slowly opened the lid to reveal a pile of glass shards. Grabbing his wand from the coffee table he pointed it at the box and muttered _Repairo_. He had become very good at this spell after dating Nymphadora Tonks for just over a month. When he looked at the small box in his lap, he saw the shards came back together to form a glass vile with a silver serpent etched on the side. He picked it up to look at it more closely and found writing on the bottom. '_To the man with the steel heart, who finally let me in._' He smiled as he put it back in the box.

"Lyons," he said calmly. With a loud CRACK a house elf stood before him.

"Yes Professor," he lowered his head to him.

"Just wanted to see how things were coming along at Hogwarts."

"Marvelously sir."

"Perfect. And did you…"

The elf held out a small pink box.

"Thank you," he carefully took it from him. "That will be all. I will be back at school within the hour." The elf bowed and with another CRACK he was gone.

Severus quickly got to his feet; he had a lot to do and who knew how long he had to it. He slipped the small box into his pocket as he walked towards her bedroom. There was a scrap piece of parchment on her desk and he grabbed a quill and began to write her a note. When he finished he folded it up, and pulled out the small box. He went back to the main room and walked towards the coffee table. He was certain she would see this the minute she walked in. He gently placed the box and the note on the table. Standing up, he glanced at the clock. She had been gone for twenty minutes and he knew she would be returning shortly. He ran a hand through his hair, _I hope this works_, he thought, disappararted.

_How could he forget Valentine's Day? I've been dropping hints all week? _She thought as she started up the stairs to her flat. She didn't know if she wanted him to still be there, or if she wanted him gone. She took a deep breath as she entered her flat. He wasn't where she left him. His book was on the coffee table, the black box she had thrown on the floor on top of it. _Had he looked at what she had gotten him?_ It was then that she noticed the little pink box and parchment. She slowly walked toward it. _Had he actually remembered? Was he just playing games with her?_ She reached down and picked up the note and read it:

Nymphadora,

Love is a rock.

It is bold.

It is deep.

It is complicated and it is simple.

It can be strong and it can be weak.

It is everything and it is nothing.

It can be destructive and it can be peaceful.

It is the biggest oxymoron that ever existed.

You are my rock. I love you so much. I returned to Hogwarts to give you some space, if you find it in your heart to forgive me you are welcome to come. I hope you do.

Love,

S.

She smiled at the note. Only Severus could compare their relationship to a rock. This note was a start to making up for forgetting. _But if he forgot, how could he have a gift?_ She thought. She bent down to pick up the small package. It wasn't heavy. She opened and gasped. Inside there was a small pink crystal heart. It was attached to a thin silver chain. It was beautiful. A happy tear ran down her cheek as she carried the small box into her room. Looking into the mirror she placed it around her neck, smiling at how the pink of the crystal was the same pink as her hair. "He's such a git."

She sat on the edge of her bed pondering whether she should head straight to Hogwarts or if she should let him sweat it out. She decided to let him sweat it out, for a little bit at least.

After about an hour of sitting on her bed, pacing the kitchen, cleaning up a little bit, and then just laying on the couch looking at the pink crystal. She couldn't keep herself occupied anyways, so she decided to go to Hogwarts. He had suffered enough.

There was a light knock on his door. He stood up from his door; there were two possibilities of who it could be. First, it could be Dumbledore. The headmaster enjoyed coming by to make sure he was still alive in the dark rooms of the dungeons. Or it could be the person he really hoped it was. He hoped that the note and the necklace had been enough to get her here. He opened the door. There she was.

"I just came by to tell you how much I hate you."

"Ah, yes. I felt that one day you would." He smiled at her. He noticed the pink crystal on her neck. "Is that from your secret lover?"

She smiled as she grabbed the crystal, "Yeah. He's very sweet to me. Always treats me right, and never forgets special holidays." She walked past him and into his room.

"He sounds like a good man." He closed the door behind her. When he turned around, he was caught of guard when she pushed him up against the door and started kissing him. He smiled as he kissed her, wrapping an arm around her waist he turned and putting her up against the door. He pulled away slowly. "Do you want dinner first?"

"There's dinner?" she smiled at him, grabbing the front of his robes she pulled him back against her.

He placed a trail of light kisses down her neck. "Nothing to big. I forgot about the holiday remember." He couldn't help but smile into her collarbone.

"Shut up." She playfully hit him. "What else do you have planned?"

He came back to her lips, but barely touched them as he whispered, "Wouldn't you like to know."

"You're a jerk."

"I love you too." He moved the small distance to kiss her again. "Do you trust me?"

"After today? I'm not…" He kissed her again. "Yes."

He pulled a black scarf from his pocket. "Put this over your eyes."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you own anything that isn't black?"

"Just put it on." He kissed her forehead and walked away.

"Wha…"

"Don't ask questions," he interrupted and turned to look at her. "Do you need help with the scarf?"

"No," she covered her eyes and tied it behind her head. "This is truly absurd Severus."

"Is it?" He called from the other room. "Also don't move. I don't need you breaking anything, or yourself for that matter."

"Ha-ha, aren't we quite the joker today?" she said sarcastically.

"Are you ready?" he whispered into her ear, she jumped slightly not knowing he had come back and was so close. He ran his fingers down the soft skin of her arms.

Her small hand was in his as he quietly led her through the dark corridors. Every now and again he would gently rub the back of her hand with his thumb. _Her skin is so soft_, he thought. "Where are we going Severus?" she asked.

"Shhh. Would you like me to lose my job?" he whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous."

He heard footstep coming towards them. "Damn." He led her into one of the hidden passageways, pressed her against the wall in the shadows, and whispered in her ear, "Be very quite."

She was still blind folded. "Sev…" He cut her off by covering her lips with his. The footsteps grew closer. He pressed himself closer to her, trying to get as far into the shadows as possible. They stayed in the shadows until the footsteps finally faded. He kissed her forehead. "Now stay quiet," he whispered as he pulled away. He took her hand in his and kissed it, and they continued on their way.

They didn't run into anyone else on their way to their destination. He led her up the spiral staircase. "Severus where are you taking me? Are we there yet? How much longer?" she moaned, as the stairs seemed like they would last forever. He chuckled, but they kept walking.

When they finally reached the top he led her to the middle of the room, he raised her hand to his lips again and slide her small hand from his.

Panic ran over her. _He wouldn't just leave her up here_. "Severus! Where are you?"

"I'm right here," he said softly. He was walking around the room lighting candles.

"Where's here?" panic still in her voice. "I'm still blindfolded you know!" She began turning on the spot.

"Please don't hurt yourself," he walked up behind her wrapping an arm around her waist. "I was just putting some last minute touches," he whispered in her ear. "Are you ready?"

"Please Severus enough with the games! The anticipation is killing me."

He smiled as he brought his hands to the knot of the scarf gently untying it. The moment she saw where she was, her jaw dropped. They were in the astronomy tower. Her hand went to her mouth, she was in such shock she didn't know what to say. There were candles circulating the round room, the flames dancing on the dark walls. There was a blanket in the middle of the room. A bottle of wine and two glasses, a large plate of what looked like spaghetti and meatballs, and one pink cupcake. He had done all of this for her.

"Do you like it?" he asked, his arm still wrapped around her.

She turned in his arms, and looked up at him. "I could never like something like this," his face dropped as she said it. "I love it." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It took all his self-control not to take it further, but to pull away first. She pouted at him.

"Do you want a cold dinner?" he smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the blanket. He helped her down onto the blanket and settled himself next to her. He grabbed the bottle of wine and began to pour it.

"So are you going to tell me?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him.

"Tell you what?" he handed her a glass.

"How'd you come up with all this?"

"Now I can't tell you all my secrets. The night's not over yet."

She raised an eyebrow. "There's more?"

"What is this twenty-questions? Patience. Now," he raised his glass to her. "Happy Valentine's Day."

She copied him, "Happy Valentine's Day."

They laughed and talked throughout the large plate of spaghetti. They even finished the bottle of wine. When they were done, he cleared the blanket off. She lay down next to him and smiled. "So what's next?"

"Next? Well…" he stood up, and held out a hand to her. She didn't even hesitate to take it. He led her to the railing of the tower and gestured towards the telescope standing to their right. "Look."

She moved away from him and bent down to look as she said, "Did you get me a star?"

"No guessing, just look."

She looked through the eyepiece of the telescope and saw a constellation of stars forming what looked like half of a flower. "What is it?"

"It's your constellation."

"My what?" she looked incredulously up at him.

"I hope you're joking," he said as he leaned against the railing. "I did some research and figured out that your constellation was going to be at it's brightest tonight. It's not an easy thing to find."

"Only my mum and dad have seen it, out of my entire family. We never got the timing right, or couldn't pick it out amongst the other stars. I can't believe you found it." She leant back down to look again.

"I thought you would like to see it while it was at its most beautiful point."

She stood up again and walked over to him. "Thank you, for everything."

He slipped his arms around her, "You deserve everything I can give you, and more."

"All I want is you," she stated, and pulled him down for a kiss. Her arms reached up tightened around his neck. He picked her up, his arms sliding underneath her as her legs wrapped around his waist. He carried her back to the blanket. He laid her down kissing her neck, his hands sliding up her shirt. She ran her fingers through his hair, tugging to bring his lips back to hers. She gave a slight moan, her hands scrabbling at the buttons of his shirt. Just as he began to tug her shirt off, he heard footsteps coming from the direction of the stairs. Startled, he glanced over and saw a faint light flicker on the stairwell.

"You didn't lock the door."

"I didn't think anyone would come up here tonight," he got to his feet, pulling her with him. His eyes darted around the room, trying to figure out what to do. He waved his wand and the blanket vanished. "Find somewhere to hind, just in case. I'll go see who it is."

"Severus?"

"Yes?" He looked back at her.

"You might want to fix your shirt," she suggested, with a devious smile.

He looked down, a smile tugging at his lips, and started re-buttoning his shirt. She had managed to undo all but two. Once he was all straightened up he walked down the stairs to head off whoever was coming up. She watched him leave, and then started looking for a place to hide. The boxes in the corner seemed her best bet. As she crouched behind them she heard voices conversing.

"Ah Severus. What are you doing up here on this fine evening?" The voice was soft, cheerful, and male. _Dumbledore_, she thought.

"Evening Headmaster. I was just doing some thinking, and needed some fresh air."

"I see. Well this is good because I needed to have a word with you. Do you have a moment to come back up with me?"

"Of course." The pair began to walk back up the stairs. _Merlin I hope she found a place to hide, _he thought.

"Do you know what day it is today Severus?"

"February 14th Headmaster."

"I'm surprised to see that you have no plans this evening."

Severus paused. "Plans?"

"I might be old Severus, but I'm not blind. I also wouldn't make a very good Headmaster if I didn't know who was in my castle at all times."

"Headmaster?" He knew where this was going, but decided to play it off.

"Would I be correct in saying that Miss Tonks was here this evening, and may still be here?" When Severus didn't respond he continued. "She's still here then. Miss Tonks you may join us if you wish."

Nymphadora slowly stood up from behind the boxes. "Good evening Headmaster." A shy smile grew on her face as she walked towards the two men.

"Pleasure as always Miss Tonks." He bowed his head to her. "Now although I know of some of the matters going on between you two, I would think it wise to keep it from the rest of the world." He paused to look at Snape. "I would think that for someone who is very keen on keeping their private life private, they would think to keep their personal activities to their room."

"Yes Headmaster. We were just leaving."

"Have a good evening. Severus, Miss Tonks." There was a twinkle in his eye when he bowed his head to Nymphadora.

They walked quickly and quietly back to the dungeons. Neither speaking, feeling embarrassed by being caught by a teacher, but it was a hundred times worse because it was Dumbledore. Severus opened the door to his bedchambers, holding it open to allow her entrance then following her through. He closed and locked the door behind him, walked over to the sofa in front of the fire and slumped down.

"Are you okay Severus?" she asked, sitting next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't even think when I planned this evening. I didn't lock the door, what if Dumbledore saw us..." His elbows were on his knees as he looked at the dancing flames.

"But he didn't. It's fine," she took his hands and kissed it. "Now, the night's still young Professor Snape. Weren't you saying earlier how much you wanted to make me happy?"

"I feel like one of the many students I've caught in the library, secret passageways, bathrooms, classrooms…"

She cut him off, "Severus, I know your not one of everyone's favorite professors, but maybe if you weren't lurking behind every corner, taking house points away."

"I don't lurk. They're just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Sweetheart, you definitely lurk." She smiled.

He turned to look at her, giving her a weird look, "What did you just call me?"

"Sweetheart, got a problem with that?" she hit him playfully.

"I'm definitely not a sweetheart, _darling_."

"Darling? That's the best you can come up with?" she stood up from the sofa and walked over to the bookshelf. "There must be better pet names in that over active brain of yours."

"I'm not a pet name kind of guy, _sugar plum_." He leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs.

"Really?" She turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Would you rather, _pudding_, _sweetiekins, precious, angel, buttercup, honeybunny_…"

She raised her hand. "That's enough. I think we should avoid the pet names."

"Are you sure? I've got a whole list of them," he stood up and walked towards her. "My little _dumpling_."

"Stop it. Your really start freak me out."

"You started this. I'm just trying to make sure you never call me sweetheart again."

"Okay _baby_," she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I thought we decided no pet names."

"Obviously I'm not afraid of you like your students."

He pulled her towards himself, "Good." He leant down and kissed her. "Happy Valentine's Day."

She smiled at him, "Happy Valentine's Day, _babe_."

He ignored the last word and lifted her into his arms, carrying her towards his bed. Her hands were at his shirt unbuttoning it again, as she leant in to kiss him. He slid her onto the bed, sliding off her shirt; he positioned himself over her finding her lips again. She began to giggle. He looked down at her, "What's so funny?"

"Sorry. I was thinking about you in detention, for being caught in a precarious position." She laughed a little louder.

"Thanks. You're really good at setting the mood." He moved himself and laid beside her. "Why did it have to be Dumbledore?"

She rolled over and snuggled herself into his side, "Who would you have preferred it have been? Professor Mcgonagall? Filch?" She began to trace shapes on his bare chest.

"Definitely not Minerva, she's almost as bad as Dumbledore. Filch most likely because he wouldn't have even made it up the stairs."

"Yeah, I always thought her and Dumbledore had something going on. Do you know anything?" she looked at him with a smile.

"Dumbledore is more secretive then I am. Even if I _did _know something, I couldn't tell you." He continued to stare at the ceiling, trying to think of something other then Dumbledore and Mcgonagall.

She sat up a hand on his chest, "There is something going on! I knew it!"

"No. I didn't say anything."

"But you made a face!" she pointed her finger at him. "You know there's something going on between them. Please tell me."

"You really want to talk about Dumbledore and Mcgonagall while we lay in my bed?" he ran his fingers down the length of her arm.

"No, there's much more exciting things I'd like to be doing," she moved herself so that she had a knee on either side of his waist.

"Not my fault you started giggling." He ran his hands up her thighs.

"You have to admit it was pretty funny. A taste of your own medicine, you could say."

He held back the urge to laugh at it. She was right. She was always right. He brought his hand to her cheek leading her lips to his once more. There would be no more talk of the subject tonight.


End file.
